President’s Plane Down -Daily Guide

The Libyan Authorities Had To 'Loan' Ghana An Aeroplane Daily Guide -- The presidential jet, dubbed the “flying coffin”, because of its old age and unreliability on Saturday, January 21, gave President Kufuor and his entourage, including media personnel the scare when it nearly gave up the ghost in mid-air. Daily Guide learnt the jet had taken off from Libya enroute to Sudan where the President is attending the 6th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Union (AU), and the 4th Summit of African Peer Review Forum when the jet started losing pressure. From an altitude of 33000 feet, Daily Guide learnt the pilot used all his skill to fly as low as 5000 feet, until the plane landed back on Libyan soil. While flying low, it ejected much of its aviation fuel, in order to lower the risk of its catching fire upon forced or crash landing. The Libyan authorities had to 'loan' Ghana an aeroplane for the President and his entourage to continue the journey to Sudan, where the conference is underway.
President Kufuor is expected back home on Wednesday, January 25, 2006.